The Bloody Sire
By Robinson Jeffers

It is not bad. [M1] Let them play.
Let the guns bark and the bombing-plane
Speak his prodigious blasphemies.[M2]
It is not bad, it is high time,
Stark violence is still the sire of all the world’s values.

What but the wolf’s tooth whittled so fine
The fleet limbs of the antelope?
What but fear winged the birds, and hunger
Jewelled with such eyes the great goshawk’s head?
Violence has been the sire of all the world’s values.

Who would remember Helen’s face
Lacking the terrible halo of spears?
Who formed Christ but Herod and Caesar,
The cruel and bloody victories of Caesar?
Violence, the bloody sire of all the world’s values.

Never weep, let them play,
Old violence is not too old to beget new values.

[M1] What is the name of the tool?
Repetition
What is the definition of the tool?
When a line or part of a line is repeated to put emphasis on its meaning.
How does this tool help to create the poem’s overall meaning?
This tool enhances the meaning of the poem because it gives the reader many chances to re-read and re-evaluate the part that is repeated. Some lines have hidden meaning that you may not pick up on if you just read them once, but maybe given the chance to witness them multiple times can help you to see the real meaning. Also a big thing with repetition is that it is usually used on very important lines so that the reader knows what is important because it is repeated and emphasized.
[M2]What is the name of the tool?
Compressed Conflict
What is the definition of the tool?
Two words that seem to conflict in their original meanings but go together to make a different meaning
How does this tool help to create the poem’s overall meaning?
This tool strengthens the power and meaning of the poem indifferently. Together two different words can have meanings than their original ones. Sometimes this makes it more descriptive and strengthens the line or poem as a whole.


**Exploration by Michael Murphy**

1 Across the barren valley.[M1]
2 We set out on a journey
5 An exploration of sorts
4 On horseback we rode

2 We set out on a journey
5 An exploration of sorts
4 On horseback we rode
6 We searched for an escape

5 An exploration of sorts
7 Though some may turn against us
6 We searched for an escape
8 Standing ground against hardship

7 Though some may turn against us
3 We rode into the dawn that lit the valley
8 Standing ground against hardship
1 Across the barren[M2] valley

[M1]What is the name of the tool?
Line Break
What is the definition of the tool?
Simply where one line ends and another begins
How does this tool help to create the poem’s overall meaning?
This tool helps the poem for two reasons; it helps the reader read the poem correctly, and it can help the author put emphasis on certain parts. It helps the reader know how to read it because it can tell them if they need to pause or not depending on if the author is using proper grammar. And it can show which parts are important or leave a small cliffhanger almost like a novel
[M2]What is the name of the tool?
Cool, Vivid Words
What is the definition of the tool?
Words that are very descriptive or unique that can enhance the meaning of a line or the poem as a whole
How does this tool help to create the poem’s overall meaning?
This tool can help to make a reader visualize what is going on or what something looks like in a poem. It can help them visualize a situation if you use a word that makes them think of a part in their life that they can picture for the scene or situation of the poem’s events. It can also help the reader understand or visualize what something looks like if you use words that they can link to other things they know that they would link with that word.

Back and forth we toss the ball,
As we loosen out the tension we’ve built[M1] .
Sure that a good game will whisk it all away.[M2]
Even though things may be tough,
But only one thing for me puts it
All behind us for a couple of hours.
Love the escape,
Love the game.

[M1]What is the name of the tool?
Speaker
What is the definition of the tool?
The person speaking the poem
How does this tool help to create the poem’s overall meaning?
This tool helps to tell the reader how to read it, what emotions are involved with the poem and maybe provide insight into meaning within the lines. For instance; if the person was in a horrible crisis and they are speaking this poem you could think and speak in a sad, or depressed tone, you could then convey the emotion in how you read it.
[M2]What is the name of the tool?
Hyperbole
What is the definition of the tool?
To extremely exaggerate something
How does this tool help to create the poem’s overall meaning?
This tool can help by making the reader really understand what’s going on. It can help the reader in this way because it can elaborate on something very simple or minute and make it a big deal and therefore easier to pick out. If you can pick it out easily then it’s easy for the reader toput together a meaning for it